Science and literacy: Considering the role of texts in early childhood science education

Abstract

This chapter examines the integration of science and literacy in early childhood education. We begin with a review of research on the types of science texts designed for young children and for early childhood classrooms commercially produced, trade literature, and researcher-created. Such science texts present unique challenges in their content, their linguistic structures, and their varied visual representations. As relates specifically to trade literature, genre and subject matter can be sources of concern genre in that texts that conflate story with scientific information and explanations may produce little science learning or scientific misconceptions, and subject matter in that current trade literature for young children chiefly addresses life science, with very few books written on physical science topics. Despite their importance, science texts have a very limited presence in current early childhood classrooms. Further, early childhood teachers appear reluctant to include such texts in common early childhood instructional practices, such as read alouds; this may be due to their own insecurities regarding science instruction. Given the importance of inquiry science, multiple researchers, working to enhance the quality of early childhood science instruction, have integrated text and inquiry science. We examine various Text Integrated Inquiry Science (TIIS) programs, acknowledging both unique and common program features, as well as limitations in research designs. A consideration of promising TIIS practices concludes this chapter.